Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien (General)

by dulan drift, Sunday, February 04, 2018, 21:50 (475 days ago)

Started at 3.30 this morning with twin 4+ quakes a minute apart, then a 3+ at 8.36pm, then a 5.1 just 36 minutes later. The 3+ was slightly further north, but the others were in almost the exact same location in northern Hualien. All of them relatively shallow

This is a very similar pattern to what happened here - a building sequence - no doubt anyone sitting on top of these quakes today is starting to feel pretty damn nervous and wondering where it's all going

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

Aftershocks continued all night, which is normal, though there were an awful lot of them - 20 or more

Assume the 5.8 was peak movement

Of course radio silence again from all the earthquake academics - for me that's scandalous that they're enjoying these comfortable careers at the taxpayers' expense, making zero breakthroughs in their research, and offering no guidance at a time when local earthquakes are going off the charts

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

It was already record breaking in terms of number of quakes in the sequence yesterday - and it's continued on with quakes virtually every hour or more since then - including another 5M - in fact it seems to have ramped back up today after a brief lull yesterday afternoon

This is unchartered territory and something major and unprecedented is playing out

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

There must be a lot of political pressure not to suggest that there is an increased risk of earthquakes. I mean, heaven forbid there are any tourists dollars lost. Better to lose the tourists after they've paid for the room.

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

Just read that the Premier has ordered urgent repairs to a highway closed by the quake - I presume it's the Su Hwa

Fuck me! Get those guys out of there! Don't worry about keeping the road open until someone has got a handle on what we're dealing with here - it's outrageous that they are sending workers into a situation like that just to keep a road open

Although it was called a 6M by CWB, the US has called it a 6.4

Despite the Taipei Times stupidly reporting no casualties or damage, pictures are emerging of pretty extensive damage with two people confirmed dead so far

4 buildings have toppled, including two hotels, and a bridge has twisted and become unusable

Watched some of the tv footage and was struck by the extreme bravery of the rescuers - working tirelessly to get people out of partially collapsed buildings even as Hualien city continues to get rocked by almost continuous earthquakes

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

Still going strong - been earthquakes every half hour at least all day long and just had another 5.7

That's around 6 earthquakes of 5M or more

In 1951 they had 3 x 7+M in Hualien which went onto trigger 6-7M quakes on another three separate faults all down the coast as far as Taidong city

The concern is that it will repeat that pattern.

I feel there is a high likelihood it will trigger at least a 5M in my area at some stage in the next few weeks - the question is whether it's still escalating in Hualien and is there a 7M in the works there or has it maxed out at the 6M of last night

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

5.8 last night and a 4.8 this morning plus a stack of others - this is like one long five-day earthquake

I suspect there's at least one more big one left in this sequence for Hualien

Then, according to previous history, the whole show could move south to Taidong

Amazing bravery shown by the rescuers to be getting people out of buildings while major quakes still happening with alarming regularity

Massive goof by CWB who called the peak of the sequence with the 5.8M (US 6.1) quake three nights ago and told everyone to relax and that the main danger had passed - given the unprecedented level of activity it was a mind-bogglingly stupid call

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

I have no idea if this is at all relevant to the recent activity in Taiwan, but there was a 4.9 earthquake on the Northern Marianas island of Agrihan yesterday. Agrihan is a small island which is just the crown of a massive volcano sticking out of the ocean.

This area sees very little seismic activity, but occasionally it has massive earthquakes. A few years ago an 8.1 hit Guam. It was the largest earthquake in the world that year.

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

I actually just started monitoring that site when recent activity in Hualien started, and there was more activity in other parts of the 'ring of fire' during last week. I mean, that's entirely unscientific of course, but it piqued my interest in looking at the big picture.

During the Hualien activity, there was a lot going on in Alaska. It has quieted down across the board in the last couple of days, with the exception being that quake in the Marianas, which is a little unusual.

Escalating Earthquake Sequence Hualien

It has quieted down across the board in the last couple of days, with the exception being that quake in the Marianas, which is a little unusual.

I was just thinking that myself - but checked this morning and there's been another spike in activity at the same location - 4 quakes in the last half hour including 2 x 4M - so maybe this show is not over yet